Red Sox DH David Ortiz to retire after 2016 season

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz will retire after the 2016 season, he announced on Wednesday in a video posted on The Players Tribune.

“I thought a lot about it and I think for every single one of us athletes-wise, we all have a time at some point,” Ortiz said. “Life is based on different chapters and I think I’m ready to experience the next one in my life.”

Ortiz, who will enter his 20th MLB season in 2016, is a career .284 hitter with 503 home runs and 1,641 RBIs. In August, he became the 27th player in MLB history and the fourth Red Sox player to hit 500 career home runs.

[youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKHQA3N5OD0]

Ortiz played for the Minnesota Twins from 1997 to ’02, and has played for the Red Sox since 2003.

The 39-year-old is a three-time World Series champion with the Red Sox, having won in 2004, ’07 and ’13.

“I would like people to remember me as a guy who was part of the family—a guy was trying to do the best not only on the field but with everyone around him,” Ortiz said.